Hand-held Exercise Device with an Integrable Weight Bar and Resistance Flag Assembly

ABSTRACT

A hand-held exercise device that includes a housing unit with an open-ended base bottom portion, an upstanding side wall portion surrounding and continuing the base bottom portion, the base bottom portion and the upstanding side wall portion forming a cavity, the cavity capable of receiving a weighted formation. The device further includes a shaft continuing and surrounding the sidewall portion on an opposite end of the base bottom portion. The device further includes a stubbed cap coupleable with the base bottom portion. The device further includes a cylinder surrounding the shaft and rotatable around the shaft and vertically displaceable along a section of the shaft between the opposite end and a pre-determined length of the shaft. The device further includes a flag coupeable with the cylinder, the flag extending along a length of the shaft and being rotatable around the shaft in response to movement of the hand-held housing assembly.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to pending U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 14/933,773 filed Nov. 5, 2015 and entitled “Resista-Flag,” the entire contents of which are hereby fully incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the field of exercise devices. More specifically, the invention relates to hand-held exercise devices with integrable weight bar and an attachable flag.

BACKGROUND

Exercise is an important aspect of life and is something that all people should regularly partake in so as to reap the benefits of healthy living. There are all types of exercise methods in which one could actively engage in order to gain the benefits. There are cardiovascular regimens, such as running, swimming, and jumping rope: weight lifting regimens such as using barbells and dumbbells: dance aerobics and calisthenics with pull ups, push-ups and abdominal work. Ultimately, which method is practiced is not as critical as whether or not a method is actually practiced.

People who enjoy exercise do so using methods they are most comfortable with. Some prefer a cardiovascular regimen, some prefer lifting weights, and some prefer calisthenics. Regardless of which method is preferred, the degree to which the method is practiced depends on the users comfort level. In any exercise regimen, practice of such can be taken to a minimum level or an extreme level or anywhere between. However, regardless of the method of practice, what is desired is that the practitioner is motivated and achieves the most benefit without unduly introducing excessive or unbalanced force upon the body that may negatively impact the results, such as harmful pressure to the joints or disproportionate use of muscles that may result in undesirable effects.

With respect to the use of weights or hand-held dumbbells, or i.e. barbells, these exercise devices are often used in conjunction with many different exercise methods. The use of such can often result in unwanted stress levels to joints, especially if not used properly, and are not always the best motivators for those who use the dumbbells as perfunctory accessories to other exercise methods, such as aerobics or calisthenics. In these particular methods, the user is simply trying to tone muscles, improve grace of movement, and strengthen joints in the most optimal way. As such, most dumbbells that include a centered hand-held piece with weighted ends may not always provide a means that results in an optimal use. If the user is not using the dumbbells in a very controlled way, which may not always be possible considering a particular exercise method, or using the dumbbells in a manner that does not distribute force in an optimal way, the results will be unwanted stress on the joints and a disproportionate use of muscles which negatively effects muscle tone.

Furthermore, dumbbells are not always an instrument that can be used in some of the aforementioned exercise methods for the simple purpose that they don't always inspire or motivate people to want to continue forward, especially when the exercise becomes difficult. In addition, for certain people, especially people of an advanced age or have motor functionality issues, such as people with neurological issues, may not be able to fully appreciate the amount of energy exerted during exercise.

As such, there is a need for a hand-held exercise device that can provide the benefits of a weighted device as well as assist in facilitating effective use of the device and help motivate the user to use the device.

SUMMARY

The example embodiments presented herein meet the above identified needs by providing an improved hand-held exercise device that includes a handle with a cavity capable of receiving weighted formations and attached to one end of the handle includes a shaft with a flag attached thereto and rotatable about the shaft. The functional use of the device promotes user activity, strengthens or tones muscles, improves joint functionality, and provides visual feedback as to the amount of activity or motion being achieved during exercise, which may be useful for those of special needs.

In an embodiment, the hand-held exercise device includes an elongated weighted formation, a housing assembly, a shaft, and a flag. The housing assembly includes an open-ended base bottom portion, an upstanding side wall portion surrounding and continuing the base bottom portion, the open-ended base bottom portion and the upstanding side wall portion forming a cavity, the cavity capable of receiving the at least one elongated weighted formation. The elongated weighted formation may be formed from metal and have a weight of between a pound and several pounds. The shaft continues and surrounds the sidewall portion on an opposite end of the base bottom portion, the shaft extending the opposite end a predetermined length. The flag is attached to the shaft and is rotatable about the shaft. The device further includes a stubbed base bottom cap coupleable with the open-ended base bottom portion for sealing the weighted formation withing the cavity.

In some aspects of the embodiment, the device further includes a flange positioned or formed on a section of the shaft and a cylinder surrounding the shaft and rotatable around the shaft with its vertical displacement limited by the position of the flange. The flag is coupleable with the cylinder, e.g. using Velcro strips or adhesives. The flag extends along a length of the shaft and is rotatable around the shaft in response to movement of the hand-held housing assembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a disassembled hand-held exercise device with shaft, flag, hand-held housing assembly, and weight member according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view an assembled hand-held exercise device and component members with emphasis on flag, shaft, and component members according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, illustrated is a perspective view of a disassembled hand-held exercise system with shaft, flag, hand-held housing assembly, and weight member denoted generally as 10. The hand-held exercise system 10 includes a first and second hand-held exercise device 12,14. Each device 12,14 includes an elongated weighted formation 16,18, each weighted formation having a weight of between a pound and several pounds. The weighted formations may be of any shape, e.g. cylindrical, square, or rectangle. The hand-held exercise system 10 further includes a first and second hand-held housing assembly 20,22. The housing assembly 20,22 further includes an open-ended base bottom portion 24,26 and an upstanding side wall portion 28,30 surrounding and continuing the base bottom portion 24,26. The open-ended base bottom portion 24,26 and the upstanding side wall portion 28,30 forming a cavity, the cavity capable of receiving the elongated weighted formation 16,18. Each hand-held exercise device 12,14 further includes a stubbed base bottom cap 32,34 coupleable with the open-ended base bottom portion. As an example, the base bottom cap 32,34 may be fixed to the base bottom portion 24,26 using threads around the outer and inner periphery of the base bottom portion 24,26 and cap 32,34, respectively.

In addition, each hand-held exercise device 12,14 includes a shaft 36,38 formed with the housing assembly 20,22, for example vis a vi injection plastic molding processes. Each shaft 36,38 includes attached thereto a flag 40,42, e.g. made of plastic or cloth, extending along the length of the shaft and with each flag being rotatable about an axis of the respective shaft. In use, the hand-held exercise device 12,14 can be placed in the hands of the user and during exercise the weighted housing assembly and flag work together to tone the user's muscles by providing a weighted mass and resistance from the flag when the user's arms are in motion. In addition, the flag acts to motivate the user and also indicate to the user the amount of motion being achieved during exercise.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a side view an assembled hand-held exercise device and component members with emphasis on the flag and shaft is illustrated and denoted generally as 60. The hand-held exercise device 60 includes on one end a housing member 62, a stubbed base bottom cap 64, and a weighted formation 64 positioned within the cavity of the housing member 62 and on the opposite end a shaft 66, e.g. the housing member 62 and shaft 66 maybe a single unit formed from traditional plastic injection molding processes. The shaft further includes a flange 68 formed on the shaft 66, e.g. using traditional plastic injection molding processes, a cylindrical tube 70, a flag 72 wrapped around the shaft 66, and a Velcro strip unit 74 with a first member adhesively attached to the cylindrical tube 70 and a second member attached to an inner lining of the flag 72. Although, the Velco unit 74 may be optional in that an adhesive coated on the cylindrical tube 70 may be sufficient to couple the flag 72 with the cylindrical tube 70.

With the aforementioned described structure, the flag 72 coupled to the cylindrical tube 70, vis a vi the Velcro strip unit 70 or directly though adhesives, is rotatable around the shaft 66 and is secured in its vertical movement along the shaft 66 by the positioned placement of the flange 68. The position of the flange 68 may be located along any surface section of the shaft 66 but its placement is most effective when it minimizes the potential displacement of the cylindrical tube 70 along the vertical axis of the shaft 66. In addition, the cylindrical tube 70 may have an internal diameter slightly greater than the diameter of the shaft 66 so as to provide friction force, and therefore resistance, against the rotational direction. In use, the flag forces or encourages the user to make continuous and big movements. The effect of this is that it improves the user's mobility and assists in opening space between the joints encouraging synovial fluid production that reduces stiffness and joint pain. 8. The hand-held barbell system of claim 7 wherein the cylinder is movable vertically along the section that is defined by the portion of the shaft approximately half way between the opposite end and the pre-determined length.

Thus, While there have been shown and described and pointed out fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be under stood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/or method steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention. Substitutions of elements from one described embodiment to another are also fully intended and contemplated. It is also to be understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale but that they are merely conceptual in nature. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto. 

1. A hand-held exercise device comprising: an elongated weighted formation; a hand-held housing assembly that includes an open-ended base bottom portion, an upstanding side wall portion surrounding and continuing the base bottom portion, the open-ended base bottom portion and the upstanding side wall portion forming a cavity, the cavity capable of receiving the elongated weighted formation; a shaft continuing and surrounding the sidewall portion on an opposite end of the base bottom portion, the shaft extending the opposite end a predetermined length; a stubbed base bottom cap coupleable with the open-ended base bottom portion; a cylinder surrounding the shaft and rotatable around the shaft and movable vertically along a section of the shaft between the opposite end and the pre-determined length; and a flag coupable with the cylinder, the flag extending along a length of the shaft and being rotatable around the shaft in response to movement of the hand-held housing assembly.
 2. The hand-held exercise device of claim 1 wherein the elongated weighted formation further comprises a cylinder weighted formation.
 3. The hand-held exercise device of claim 1 wherein the elongated weighted formation further comprises a square weighted formation.
 4. The hand-held exercise device of claim 1 wherein the elongated weighted formation further comprises a rectangle weighted formation.
 5. The hand-held exercise device of claim 1 wherein the elongated weighted formation further comprises a oval weighted formation.
 6. The hand-held exercise device of claim 1 wherein the shaft includes a flange fixed on a position of the shaft.
 7. The hand-held exercise device of claim 6 wherein the flange is positionally fixed along a portion of the shaft that minimizes the vertical displacement of the cylinder.
 8. The hand-held exercise device of claim 7 wherein the cylinder is movable vertically along the section that is defined by the portion of the shaft approximately half way between the opposite end and the pre-determined length.
 9. The hand-held exercise device of claim 1 wherein the flag is coupled with the cylinder is coupled using Velcro. 